Home is Where the Lab is: Ryan x OC
by vrukalakos
Summary: Ryan was 24 when he began his life with MDPD Crime Lab as a Police transfer. Over the years he has learned and loved. But none more so than a certain honey-haired brunette from the NOC shift. AU. Follows the CSI MIAMI timeline with some slight detours here and there. Hints EricxCalleigh, RyanxOC, friends and family Rated T for language, violence, and hinted future scenes
1. Intro

Dun Dun Dun. A new story. A new romance blossoming. I have been on a significant CSI MIAMI binge on my days off. What can I say…Speed and Ryan are cute. Not that Delko and Jake are bad but, to each their own.

So anywho, after a very long writing break and even longer life (the end of my writing for my NCIS story occurred at a time in my life where an engagement ended, I had to move in with family that wound up being a disaster and trying to re-establish my life) I have decided it has been FAR too long. So I will keep updating my NCIS Tim Mcgee/Bella story, my CSI Vegas story and now this one.

So, who is Christa. Christa, is an OC. She is my work of brilliant and delirious writing. CSI MIAMI is not owned by me. Never was, never will be (aside from season buying and Netflix binging) . This is solely for entertainment value, I get no money of any kind. Please review, message, what not, just no hunting me down with pitchforks if you don't mind. My house sucks and is likely very flammable. There will be some alternative reality (obviously as poor Ryan never got the girl, which is why I am stepping in). K? K. Any questions? Good. Let's get started.

-CSI MIAMI—CSI MIAMI—CSI MIAMI—CSI MIAMI—CSI MIAMI—CSI MIAMI—CSI MIAMI—CSI MIAMI

Bright, warm and humid. Another day in the beautiful and busy life of Miami Florida. Of course, being beautiful and busy means that everyone is out enjoying the city. Including the law breakers, of whatever variety they may be.

It's barely 6am when Ryan is walking up the morning stairs to the Miami Dade Crime Lab building. Morning shift starts early, grabbing the cool metal handle to the double glass doors; Ryan steps onto the cool marble flooring of the police department, heading up to the crime lab.

Stepping off the elevators, Ryan heads past the receptionist desk, hearing laughter and chatting from female voices. One is recognizable without a doubt; he can place Calleigh's laughter from anywhere even though he hasn't been working with the team long. The other was a voice he didn't recognize.

His peripheral vision catches movement to his left. Turning his head as he walks past, he spots Calleigh laughing with another female who he doesn't recognize. Light caramel brown hair pulled back into a tight, high ponytail, swishes slightly emphasizing slightly with her movements. The badge on her hip suggests that she's part of MDPD in some capacity.

The pair chats for a few more minutes before walking towards the main center of the room, "Allright, well try to get some sleep. Lord knows you deserve it if even half of that story is true."

"Come on Calleigh, it's me. Like I tell tall stories," the mystery woman retorts with a smidge of laughter in her voice as she heads towards the elevator. Waving goodbye as she steps into the elevator, "Have fun Calleigh!"

Watching the elevator doors close on the woman before going down, no doubt to take her to the lobby, Ryan glances over at his new teammate, curiosity getting the best of him. "Hey Calleigh, who was that?"

"That? Oh that was one of the women from grave shift. She's typically out of here before now but according to her, they had a crazy night with calls so she could stuck here longer than usual." Calleigh replies as she starts heading to the layout room. "She'sa bit of a talker, so take anything she says with a slight grain of salt, though she likes to deny it.

"Oh. Ok." Thinking no further about the NOC shift female, Ryan resumes his trip to the locker room to grab his gear needed for the upcoming day.

Here's hoping that today was not as crazy as night shift had been.


	2. All Hands on Deck

-Set During Episode 7 of Season 3 where the Tidal Wave hits Miami-

Stepping off onto the chaotic mess unfolding in the Miami Dade Lab, crystal blue searches through the building until she spots someone that she knows. "Calleigh, hey!"

"Christa!" The tall blonde strides across the marble floor, catching up to her female friend. "What are you doing here? You should be backed up and inland by now."

An all too familiar smirk appears on Christa's face, one that Calleigh has known to mean nothing but trouble. "Well Miss Duquesne, I couldn't let you have all the fun. Besides, I figured it was all hands on deck for this."

 _Always a heart of gold._ Calleigh's gaze flickers over to Christa's, holding her gaze. "Chris, your NOC shift you don't have to be here."

"Calleigh, it's not a matter of having to be here. We're CSI. We do this together." Nodding, Calleigh offers a warm smile before having the other woman follow her, hoping to have enough hands on the ground to assist with the disaster that is pending to occur.

After the wave hit, thankfully damage is limited to the coast and that the damage is not as awful as had been expected. Naturally, it is nice to have all hands on deck to help with the crisis scenario.

Like all of the other emergency services crew, Christa is new deep in muck, assisting with recovery and accidents before retiring to the department when things finally begin to calm down enough for her to head back.

Stepping out of the elevator, clear blues catch Eric Delko and Horatio Caine at the far end of the lab, resulting in a wave from her and a greeting in return. _No doubt Calleigh alerted them I was assisting_. Heading to the dressing room, thankfully she has another pair of shoes to change into as the current ones are now disgusting.

Rooting through her locker, the unmistakable Southern drawl of the blonde fills the locker. "Oh Chris, good you're back. I was hoping they wouldn't leave you out there too long."

"You know me Calleigh. Got to enjoy the sunlight while I can afterall."

Smiling at the inside joke, Calleigh can't help but shake her head at her in disdain. "Really Christa, you are too much sometimes."

"Yes, but you love me, so it really doesn't matter."

"Fair enough. How about drinks tonight? Been a while since I've seen you out with normal people."

"Normal people is vastly over-rated Calleigh. But sure, love to. Our usual at 7?"

"See you there."

"You did not!"

"I did," Christa giggles as she sips from the margarita currently in front of her. "What else was I suppose to do? He wouldn't stop calling. So what if I may have accidentally released his number to a Bear4Life page. We both know it was debatable he may have been into men too!"

A round of giggles fills the table as she receives a disapproving look from the older CSI. "Christa, he could have pressed charges."

"With what? I will have you know that he has stopped calling and appears to have found a very handsome boyfriend named Javier." Seeing Calleigh's look of shock, she takes out her phone and pulls up her former boyfriend's profile showing him alongside a smiling man. "I did him a favor."

Ducking the playful swat from Calleigh, steely eyes set on a man about her age, maybe a little younger walk in to the bar. "Hey Calleigh, isn't that one of your guys?" Seeing her distasteful look no doubt at how she describes the newcomer, "Morning shift guy. Not booty call."

Glancing over at who Christa is looking at, she instantly spots the soft-spoken Ryan Wolfe at the bar countertop, apparently alone. "Yea. That's Ryan Wolfe. He's the one that Horatio hired after Speedle-"

Nodding in understanding, neither really like to talk of the passing of Timothy Speedle. Such a kindred and wayward soul who was taken away so young. The next thing Calleigh knows, Christa yells out across the bar, "Hey, Wolfe!"

"Christa, what are you doing?"

Shrugging, honestly she is curious. She rarely gets to meet the newbies on days and swings. Lord knows she has been on NOC for too long to count. "What? Got to meet the newbie. And besides Calleigh, look. He's all alone."

Hearing his name, hazel eyes search the room before he spots the familiar blonde and a brunette who waves him over. "Calleigh, hey."

Gesturing to the empty 3rd chair at the table, "Hey Ryan. Take a seat and join us."

A deep unsettling pit grows in his stomach as he slides into the chair resting at their table. "Hi, I'm Ryan Wolfe," extending his hand to the brunette, noting her black slacks and off the shoulder dark green top. Shaking his hand, she gives him a comforting, soft smile "Christa Young."

"Christa is one of the NOC shift CSI's." Calleigh explains as she takes another sip from her margarita, and flags over a waiter to come and get Ryan's drink.

"Oh." Suddenly dawning on him the conversation he and Calleigh shared a few months prior, the image of a laughing Christa jumps straight to his mind. "Oh. I remember you. You were talking with Calleigh one morning in the lab. She told me that you tend to exaggerate your stories."

"Oh really now," raising an eyebrow at a guiltily smiling Calleigh, Christa's attention is solely on Ryan at this point. "Ryan, please do share what else you've heard."

 _So, I got stuck in trying to break the ice with Christa and begin the knowing of each other. I originally intended to have her come in during Rio, but as i did further research into the CSI timeline, it just did not add up as I wanted. Soooo...Christa meets Ryan sooner! The next chapters are obviously going to expand on their friendship and other shenanigans._

 _Please let me know what you think, if there is anything you want to see, and please, please review. I am excited to say I got another follower not that long ago. Made my day!_

 _Thanks!_

 _V._


	3. Ex's and cake

Perched at the table at her and Calleigh's typical Friday Night spot in Marino's Pub, Christa takes a drink from her glass just as the chime of her phone goes off, alerting her to a text message. Opening the text from Calleigh, she can't help but sigh when she reads it.

 ** _'John is back. I can't make it out tonight. I think he's going to show up there. Sorry. I owe you~C'_**

"Stood up on a Friday night. Yea, sounds about right." Taking another drink from her beer, not even 5 minutes pass before the all too familiar face of John Hagen comes into her view. Groaning softly and an attempt to duck her head from being seen fails, as he soon finds himself at her table.

"Christa, how's it going?"

Taking a large sip of her beer, nothing she can o about avoiding him now. "John. Been a while."

"Yea," nodding his head, the nervousness rolls off of the older cop like a user looking for a next fix.

Unable to sit back and watch the unfolding scene longer than possible, Christa looks up at the man."She's not coming John."

"Who?"

"You and I both know who. Calleigh isn't coming John. She cancelled."

His face falls for a moment before he shrugs it off like it was no big deal, "Oh. I-uh-I wasn't looking for her if that's what you meant."

Light blue hold his challenging his statement, "I'm not dumb. You know this has been Calleigh and mine's typical Friday Night for the past 3 years. Please, John. I'm not one of your perps on the street."

"Did she tell you why she wasn't coming?"

"Had better things to do I'm sure then be stalked by an ex."

"I'm not stalking her."

"Then what are you doing here exactly?" When he looks away, her head cocks to the side as if to say 'see?' Clearing her throat, she lays down money to pay for her beer before getting up, "I'm out. Have a nice night."

"Wait," his fingers roughly grab at her arm, jolting her to a stop, pulling her closer to him. "Christa, I just-"

"If you don't remove your hand, you are not going to like the consequences Hagen. Let go. Now." His hand drops away slowly from her arm, watching intently as she grabs her purse and phone and walks straight out the door and almost nearly smacks into the firm chest of a man entering the building. "I'm so sorry,"

"Hey, its ok. Wait, Christa?"

"Ryan, hey."

"You ok? You look like you were about to run for your life?"

"Yea. I'm good."

"You sure," Ryan looks over her shoulder, scanning the crowd when he sees a displeased looking John Hagen. "Bad date?"

Shaking her shoulders as if shaking off a bad mental image, "definitely not a date,"

"ok." Feeling the anxiety and tension she is exhibiting, something tells him to get her away from the establishment in question. "I was going to get dinner and a drink. You in?" Seeing her start to object, "we can go someplace else if you'd like."

"I-" nodding, grateful at the thought of putting space between her and Hagen, "Yea. Yes. Sure."

Feeling the glowering look still being sent their way by the new detective that has been on days, a surge of protectiveness flows through him; placing his hand in the lower dip of her back, Ryan shoots the man a look of his own before guiding her towards the parking lot.

-RYAN-LANA-DELKO-CALLEIGH-HORATIO-YELINA-TRIPP-SPEEDLE-CSI MIAMI-

Easing into the chairs at the beachside restaurant, the atmosphere turns awkward quickly as the hostess explains that there is a new couples platter and dinner plate before walking away allowing them time to figure out their order.

"No need to look like you're going to die, Ryan. Promise. I'm not that bad of a date." Teasing the man as she pops open her menu, taking a chance to read over the current specials and food choices available.

"I'm not, I wasn't. I don't-"

Smiling as the poor man stumbles over his words, her hand rests gently against his forearm. "Ryan, breathe. I was just teasing. I know this isn't a date."

Ryan nods softly, taking in her soft smile and warm disposition. Granted, he has been around her since their encounter at the bar on several occasions, but typically at work and in a larger group of people. They soon begin talking about life, Miami and all of the things under the sun. Ryan learns of her family, or lack thereof all the way down to her love of lilies and her endearing work nickname as the Lab Vampire as she learns of his family, his decision to be a cop and his OCD tendencies.

After conning him into sharing a piece of chocolate cake with her, Christa looks over at the man in front of her, "I heard about what you did the other day."

"About what?"

Scooping up a piece of chocolate cake on her fork, she finishes her bite before continuing, "Heidi Dillon. Finding her a safe place to go for her and her growing baby. That was sweet."

"No. Just what anyone would do." Accentuating his remark with his own bite of the devilish cake she made him partake in.

"Not quite. It was sweet. Just own it Ryan. There's not a lot of good guys left in the world."

Giving her a quick glance, the smile on his face can't help but spread at her remark, "What, you think I'm one of the good guys?"

"Oh sweetie, we both know you are." Ryan doesn't say anything, allowing the pair to fall into a comfortable silence.


End file.
